Changes at Central Island Division

Starting on January 3rd, Sharon Todd began her new role as Primary Care Network (PCN) Manager for Port Alberni. Sharon did an excellent job of doing the community consultation for the PCN Service Planning as well as coordinating the writing and submission of the plan to the Ministry of Health. Sharon can be contacted at stodd@cidivision.ca or 250-937-0611.

Also settling into a new position is Jennifer Taylor, the Operations and Recruitment Coordinator at Central Island Division. Jennifer brings to the position a wealth of local knowledge about family practice in the Central Island region and excellent collaborative and organizational experience. The position of Operations and Recruitment Coordinator includes network development, project management and recruitment and retention. Please join us in welcoming Jennifer to the Division. Jennifer can be contacted at jtaylor@cidivision.ca or 250-240-8798.

First Nation Engagement and Shared Care

First Nation Engagement Sessions:
Port Alberni
Lunch and Learn and a bbq were held in the past few months with Elders and GPs. These sessions are to bring Elders and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council services, together with Primary Care providers to offer a continuing conversation about healthcare for Indigenous communities.

The November meeting was canceled due to inclement weather. We have rescheduled for February in Port Alberni. Please contact Tina Biello for more information. tbiello@cidivision.ca

Wednesday, February 1, 5:30 pm
4227 6th Ave. Port Alberni
All primary care providers are invited.

Links from the zoom sessions with Elders in 2021 can be found here:
https://divisionsbc.ca/central-island/resources/indigenous-health-resources-physicians/voices-elders

Maternity Care, Oceanside
Dr. Kelly Hadfield is taking any referrals for perinatal care for Oceanside. More details to come but if you have any pregnant women in your panel in Oceanside, please consider referring to Dr. Hadfield, as she is local.

Shared Care Port Alberni

Shared Care project has begun in Port Alberni bringing together Specialists and GPs. This project will focus on offering support to remote First Nations surrounding Port Alberni and the West Coast.

For more information and if you are interested in participating, please get a hold of Tina Biello at tbiello@cidivision.ca

Referrals for Murray Coughtrey, RN
Oceanside RN Murray Coughtrey has opened a space on Jensen St. for any referrals to come in for shockwave therapy for musculoskeletal conditions.
More information:  Click here , here and here  for more information.

Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model

Please click here to view the BC Family Doctors article.

Community Virtual Care

What is Community Virtual Care?
Community Virtual Care (formerly known as Home Health Monitoring) is a free, innovative Island Health program that uses remote patient monitoring, virtual visits and the telephone to support patients from the comfort of their home. A Registered Nurse monitors patient symptoms and, with coaching, the patient will improve their ability to manage their health in the comfort of their home. Equipment to monitor their health is loaned at no cost.

Who is it for?
CVS monitors vital signs and symptoms, as well as provide self-management coaching and education to patients with the following chronic conditions:
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• COPD
• Diabetes
• Heart Failure
• Hypertension
• Palliative Supportive Care
Support is also available for patients with:
• COVID-19 (acute and symptomatic)
• Influenza (acute and symptomatic)

How does it work?
Patients are loaned, at no cost to them, all the equipment they need to answer daily care plan questions and measure their biometrics. This information is sent electronically to the monitoring nurses who check for alerts and data changes. Monitoring data is viewable on the Remote Patient Monitoring MPage in PowerChart and significant data trends are send to the Primary Care Provider.
The nurses support patients to be proficient and confident in managing their condition and help them recognize when to seek care from their Primary Care Provider vs. when to seek Emergency Services.

How can I refer my patient?
Referrals are made through Community Access by calling:
South Island  (250) 388-2273 or toll-free 1(888) 533-2273
Central Island (250) 739-5749 or toll-free 1(877) 734-4101• North Island   (250) 331-8570 or toll-free 1(866) 928-4988

How can I learn more?
For more information about the program, referral options or to request posters or pamphlets:
Web:  islandhealth.ca/cvc
Email:  communityvirtualcare@islandhealth.ca
Phone:  250.519.7700 x 11928

BC College of Family Physicians Awards

We recently launched the BC College of Family Physicians (BCCFP) annual awards program, which recognizes excellence in family medicine and highlights the unique role that family physicians play in the health and well being of British Columbians.

There is the patient-nominated My Family Doctor Award, as well as several peer-nominated awards, including:
BC Family Physician of the Year
First Five Years of Practice Award
Resident Awards

National ECHO recruitment

Baycrest Health Sciences and Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health (CCSMH) are excited to announce the “National ECHO: Geriatric Mental Health”, a telehealth program that builds primary care providers’ capacity in the care of older adults through weekly videoconference sessions.

Please click here for the ECHO flyer
Please click here for the ECHO information letter

What is Project ECHO?

Project ECHO, which stands for Extension of Community Health Outcomes, was created by Dr. Sanjeev Arora at the University of New Mexico. Project ECHO follows an “all teach, all learn” model of knowledge dissemination and capacity building, exchanging knowledge between academic health science centers and frontline community care partners. It facilitates the sharing of knowledge in multiple directions: from experts to primary care providers; between primary care providers; and from primary care providers to experts. This model is appropriate for all healthcare providers and has been successfully replicated throughout the United States, Canada and globally.

Each ECHO COE session will include a short presentation by specialists on specific topics of interest relevant to the care of the older adults, followed by cases presented by the learning partners. Feedback and recommendations are provided by the health resource team as well as other learning partners.

Smoking cessation survey ($50)

My name is Erin Shellington, I am a research associate with a program called Legacy for Airway Health, a donor-funded program focused on research and care for COPD and asthma. We have developed a smoking and vaping cessation Community of Practice and work closely with Geoff Schierbeck who leads the Specialist Services Committee Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative. 

We have developed a survey for family physicians to better understand perceptions and barriers for smoking cessation treatment and identify opportunities to optimize training programs in BC. We have received funding from Shared Care to remunerate physicians for their time to complete this survey.

If you wish your preview the survey, you can do so here.

Important Message from Island Health's Community Virtual Care Program: Seeking Survey Engagement and Physician Referrals

Please see the following important message about the Island Health Community Virtual Care Program:

Island Health’s Community Virtual Care Program Seeks Physician Referrals

Click to complete a physician survey asking about your experience with Island Health’s Community Virtual Care program and how best to increase physician referrals.  Island Health’s Community Virtual Care program is collaborating with the UBC Sauder School of Business Behavioural Insights Advanced Professional Certificate Program to increase physician referrals to the program.

Upcoming CPD for Family Physicians

UBC Care of the Elderly Intensive Review Course 
Feb. 2–4 (Thu–Sat) | 8:20 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST daily | In person or Virtual Conference
Audience: family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, residential care health professionals, residents and students.
Overview: We are thrilled to bring this conference to you both virtually and in person at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver, BC. This three-day intensive course offers a unique small-group learning opportunity. The conference includes presentations by UBC faculty experts, case-based discussions, interactive polls and a variety of hands-on workshops. 
Up to 18.0 Mainpro+/MOC Section 1 credits 

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

In-person course is limited to 100 participants — reserve your spot early.

Can't join us in person Feb. 2–4?
Choose the virtual option to watch the morning plenary lectures live or access them on demand after the event. *In-person registrants will also have access to recordings.

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Spring Dermatology Review Virtual Series 2023
March 1 and 29, April 12, May 17 (Wednesdays) | 5:30–7 p.m. PST | Virtual Series
Audience: family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dermatologists, residents and students. 
Overview: This popular lecture series offers practical pearls in managing common dermatology concerns in your practice. Sessions are designed to be short, engaging and applicable to primary care practitioners across BC.  Take advantage of reduced rates by registering for the whole series in advance before the Feb. 23 early bird deadline.
Up to 6.0 Mainpro+/MOC Section (1.5 credits per session)

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

CVC Physician Survey

This is a survey about physicians’ perceptions of an Island Health care program. We are conducting this survey as part of a Behavioral Insights class project at UBC Sauder.

The survey should take about 5 minutes. Your answers will be anonymous, and no identifying information will be collected. You may withdraw from the survey at any time by closing your browser window.

Data will be stored on the advising professor's encrypted, password-protected computer for a period of at least six months.

Click here for a direct link to the CVC Physician Survey

Rx for Health

A great way to get patients started with physical activity and social connection. Ideal for the whole family, the Rx for health offers $40 off the registration of an RDN Recreation Activity or Active Pass..

Please click here for the RX for Health Package.

Please click here for a poster for your office.

Therapeutics Initiative

Please visit our website (click here) 

Therapeutics Letter (click here)

This is a bimonthly publication targeting identified problematic therapeutic issues in a brief, simple and practical manner. The process leading up to publication involves a rigorous, systematic literature review by different working groups of the Therapeutics Initiative, the creation of a draft which is circulated for comment among a sizeable group of over 100 local, national and international specialists with expertise in the particular therapeutic area and the commission of original artwork/illustration. The message is developed collaboratively by different working groups of the Therapeutics Initiative. The current Editor in Chief is Dr. Tom Perry, Chair of the Education Working Group of the Therapeutics Initiative.

Self-Management BC

Please note that workshops are scheduled on an ongoing basis throughout the year. For more information, please click here. 

In addition to our 6-week Self-Management Workshops, we offer the following:

• Self-Management Health Coach Program: this is a 1 to 1 telephone support program for individuals needing the extra support to achieve health goals. Each individual is paired with a coach and receives a weekly, 30-minute phone call for 3 to 6 months. Coaches are volunteers who may be living with chronic health conditions, and are passionate to help others to achieve wellness. For more information, please click here.  

If you have any questions regarding our programs, please email us at: selfmgmt@uvic.ca

Oceanside Hospice Society

The Oceanside Hospice Society serves individuals and families experiencing end-of-life, care-giving and bereavement in the area stretching from Deep Bay to Nanoose, and west to Errington and Whiskey Creek

We strive to provide links in the continuum of care by supporting care giving at home, in hospital or the palliative care unit at Trillium and at community care facilities.

Please contact us at 250.752.6227 or visit www.oceansidehospice.com for further information.

Divisions Dispatch

The latest news from the provincial team and complementary organizations.
https://divisionsbc.ca/provincial/news-events/divisions-dispatch

Divisions in the News

See what is going on in other divisions around BC:
https://www.divisionsbc.ca/provincial/news-and-events/in-the-news